Spineless

During a series on site-specific performances, the artist used a self-made rig to lower a camera and postcard into different bodies of water while filming the effects. For the art installation four different screens show pictures from Vietnam displaying symbols of everyday nationalism. Using sensors, these pictures are then replaced with the underwater videos as the visitors approach the installation.

To the local tribes in Vietnam, water from the caves is believed to be both mysterious and holy, a source of life. Economic and political powers are now convincing the Vietnamese people that tourism and development are the new sources of life, replacing the direct connection once held with the land. In the installation, images of streets lined with red flags are replaced by scenic postcards. As they are lowered into water the postcards are obstructed and start curling. If the visitor looks closely she can see the effect the pollutants in the water has on the images. The work is a call for tourists to look beneath the surface of Vietnam’s new-found emphasis on selling their natural heritage.